Eric Brighteyes eBook

So they ate and drank. Then Gudruda bade the
Baresark draw near and tell her his tale.

“Lady,” said he, “Eric, my lord,
lies dying on Mosfell.”

Gudruda turned white as the snow.

“Dying?—­Eric lies dying?” she
said. “Why, then, art thou here?”

“For this cause, lady: I think that thou
canst save him, if he is not already sped.”
And he told her all the tale.

Now Gudruda thought a while.

“This is a hard journey,” she said, “and
it does not become a maid to visit outlaws in their
caves. Yet I am come to this, that I will die
before I shrink from anything that may save the life
of Eric. When must we ride, Skallagrim?”

“This night,” said the Baresark.
“This night while the men sleep, for now night
and day are almost the same. The snow is deep
and we have no time to lose if we would find Brighteyes
living.”

“Then we will ride to-night,” answered
Gudruda.

Afterwards, when people slept, Gudruda the Fair summoned
her women, and bade them say to all who asked for
her that she lay sick in bed. But she called
three trusty thralls, bidding them bring two pack-horses
laden with hay, food, drugs, candles made of sheep’s
fat, and other goods, and ride with her. Then,
all being ready, they rode away secretly up Stonefell,
Gudruda on her horse Blackmane, and the others on good
geldings that had been hay-fed in the yard, and by
daylight they passed up Horse-Head Heights. They
slept two nights in the snow, and on the second night
almost perished there, for much soft snow fell.
But afterwards came frost and a bitter northerly wind
and they passed on. Gudruda was a strong woman
and great of heart and will, and so it came about
that on the third day she reached Mosfell, weary but
little harmed, though the fingers of her left hand
were frostbitten. They climbed the mountain,
and when they came to the dell where the horses were
kept, certain of Eric’s men met them and their
faces were sad.

“How goes it now with Brighteyes?” said
Skallagrim, for Gudruda could scarcely speak because
of doubt and cold. “Is he dead, then?”

“Nay,” they answered, “but like
to die, for he is beside himself and raves wildly.”

“Push on,” quoth Gudruda; “push
on, lest it be too late.”

So they climbed the mountain on foot, won the pass
and came to that giddy point of rock where he must
tread who would reach the platform that is before
the cave. Now since she had hung by her hands
over Goldfoss gulf, Gudruda had feared to tread upon
a height with nothing to hold to. Skallagrim
went first, then called to her to follow. Thrice
she looked, and turned away, trembling, for the place
was awful and the fall bottomless. Then she spoke
aloud to herself:

“Eric did not fear to risk his life to save
me when I hung over Golden Falls; less, then, should
I fear to risk mine to save him,” and she stepped
boldly down upon the point. But when she stood
there, over the giddy height, shivers ran along her
body, and her mind grew dark. She clutched at
the rock, gave one low cry and began to fall.
Indeed she would have fallen and been lost, had not
Skallagrim, lying on his breast in the narrow hole,
stretched out his arms, caught her by the cloak and
kirtle and dragged her to him. Presently her senses
came back.